What is Meta Description? Definition, Benefits, Examples, Tools

What is a Meta Description?

The meta description is an HTML tag section that contains a brief description that appears on the SERP. It includes keywords and persuasive touches. 

Meta Description Length

A meta description should not be too short or too long. It does not have a limit, but if it is too long, then Google will cut the meta description, and the display will be "..." at the end of the description sentence. It is better if the description appears intact.

The recommended Meta description length is around 400 - 750 pixels. With these measurements, the meta description can appear intact on the mobile version and desktop version.

Meta Description Tag

You can find the meta description tag in the home section. However, if you use WordPress, you have many plugins that can help you get things done. 

Here is an example of the Meta Description Tag in the source code

<meta name="description" content="Meta description is a tag that contains a brief
description of the article or site uploaded to Google."> 

* The meta description above has a length of 555 px.

Meta Description Tools

There are several tools available to help you set the length of the meta description:

1. Title & Meta Length Checker CMLABS
2. to the web 
3. counting characters
4. stibo
5. zeo org
6. mangools

How to make a meta description that follows SEO guidelines

You need to create a meta description that follows SEO rules to get optimal results in organic search. Here are some ways to create a meta description according to SEO rules:

Embed Keyword

Make sure that your meta description contains keywords that users can potentially search for. So, your content will show up as relevant search results. Embed keywords naturally and avoid keyword stuffing so as not to be considered spam by search engines.

Pay attention to the length of the meta description

Do not let your meta description be displayed in a half or cut. This can reduce the users' interest to visit your site. Use the tools above to check the length of your meta description. Make sure the length is no more than 155 - 160 characters or about 400 - 750 pixels.

Loading Content Information Overview

Create a meta description that is relevant to the content. That way, users will spend more time on your page. If they find it useful, they will be happy to share your content.

Add Call-to-Action (CTA)

Mentioning the full contents of the page clearly in the meta description is not the right SEO strategy. The purpose of the meta description is to attract potential visitors to click on your content. Therefore, we recommend that you only include a brief snippet of the content. Adding a call-to-action can also increase the click-through rate.

Examples of call-to-action that can be used are, “read more”, “find the answer here”, and “check here”. These phrases can attract users to read and explore your content.

Consider Local SEO

You can include locational keywords in the meta description. Attaching the name of a specific region can make your content reach audiences in that region. That way, you can get visitors who have the potential to become your next customers.

Let's say you live in Malang City and are in need of content writing services. Then you search for content writing services in search engines. Of course, a meta description containing keywords such as "Malang content writing services" will attract you more.